COLUMN: Four quarters to Week 5 in college football

Lee Goodwin

Wednesday

Sep 26, 2018 at 6:00 AM

Welcome to the "You won't read this anywhere else" edition of Four Quarters.

I like watching college football like the next person, but I don't like the outcome being determined by a bogus review. When it comes to sports, officials should not be a part of the game. Sometimes, they can't help themselves.

So, with that in mind, Oregon will have to play the rest of the season with an albatross around its neck in the form of the mysterious overturning of a clear-cut touchdown that would have given the Ducks a 31-7 lead over Stanford and effectively sealed the outcome in the third quarter. Instead, the Cardinal rallied for a 38-31 win in overtime.

Stanford will have to play the rest of the season knowing it was the beneficiary of a horrible call that, for some reason, has been whisked away by the wind.

As for this week, the big questions are: Will Penn State redeem itself from last season's fourth-quarter collapse in Columbus? Will Oklahoma struggle against Baylor as it did last week against Army? Is West Virginia due for a loss?

The Nittany Lions led this cross-state series 6-2 before joining the Big Ten. Since 1993, Ohio State has enjoyed sweet success against Penn State, going 17-8. It won't be just Ohio State that Penn State will be playing. It will be the ghosts of all those losses — some great, some small — that may creep into the minds of a team who, if it wins Saturday night, could very well run the table and be undefeated going into the Big Ten Championship game.

2ND QUARTER

Syracuse (4-0) at No. 3 Clemson (4-0), Saturday, noon (ABC)

For those thinking lightning might strike twice between the two teams, go to your medicine cabinet and grab the heartburn gummy. As good as the Orangemen are, the other orange team is much better, and they're playing at home.

Last season, Syracuse handed Clemson its only regular season loss, 27-24 in the Carrier Dome.

The Orange already have as many wins this season they had in 2017 when they finished 4-8. And, when pundits describe teams like Syracuse who experience an upturn, it is easy to say, for dramatic purposes, that it has "turned the corner." This is a mistake, and Orange head coach Dino Babers would probably agree.

The scenario follows so many other matchups between an up-and-coming team against an established powerhouse. The outcome is usually the same: a blowout.

Will this be the case at brunch time in South Carolina? Well, the game hasn't been played yet, but...

Syracuse has a ways to go to reach Clemson's level. We'll see how much gap can be bridged in this Atlantic Coast Conference showdown.

Texas Tech, who after one game was wondering if its head coach would be fired, cracked the Top 25 after thrashing Oklahoma State, 41-17.

Still, there are so many unknowns in college football after just a quarter of the season has been completed. Who is supposed to be better isn't the same as who is good. And, who is good now isn't the same as who is going to be better in November.

The Mountaineers are up against it: on the road, high expectations, a gamer at quarterback, weak competition. This is when college football becomes a game of craps. Roll the dice. If WVU wins, the stakes get higher. If Texas Tech wins, there goes another CFP hopeful in the Big 12.

Okay, it's making more sense, and it's unfortunate to a purist like myself. But as long as there is a Top 25 poll, there will be things like this.

A loss to Oregon would mean Stanford wouldn't be a top 10 team, meaning its game against Notre Dame wouldn't be so meaningful, meaning a Notre Dame win wouldn't mean as much in next week's voting.

Having said all that, regardless of rankings, this cross-country rivalry is every bit as good (if not better) than Notre Dame vs. USC. It's a matchup of two slobber-knocking teams who love to get dirty in the trenches.

It could go either way. Two years ago, Notre Dame stuffed Stanford on fourth-and-goal in overtime.

Contact Lee Goodwin at 717-762-2151, lgoodwin@therecordherald.com or on Twitter: @LeeG_RH

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